Popular U.S. Web video service Hulu should more than double revenue this year to $240 million, its chief executive said on Wednesday, a growth projection likely to create more buzz about a potential public offering. Get the full story »
Filed under: Media
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Tribune judge OKs more than $40M in bonuses
The judge in Tribune Co.’s bankruptcy case approved more than $40 million in 2010 incentive bonuses for 635 operating managers and executives Wednesday.
But based on the company’s projected performance through the end of the year, the payout will likely be closer to $30 million, according to court documents. Get the full story »
Lou Dobbs lands at Fox Business Network
News Corp.’s Fox Business Network has signed a multi-year contract with former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, who will host a daily show on the network beginning in the first quarter.
Dobbs also will appear on a variety of Fox Business programs to provide analysis and commentary. He will continue to host his radio talk shows and financial reports, Fox Business said. Get the full story »
Bush: I have ‘clear conscience’ on financial crisis
Former President George W. Bush said Wednesday he has a “clear conscience” about recognizing the problems that led to the financial crisis and he blamed Congress for blocking attempts to address them.
Bush, who initially kept a low-profile after leaving the White House, has been doing a series of high-profile interviews to promote his newly released memoir, “Decision Points.” Get the full story »
Tribune Co. seeks approval for new bonus plan
Tribune Co. is asking a Delaware bankruptcy judge to approve up to $43 million in bonuses for top executives and managers this year.
The plan calls for some 640 people to receive bonuses totaling from $16.5 million to $42.9 million if certain cash flow targets are met. The request will be the subject of a hearing Wednesday.
Tribune scaled back the incentive plan this summer after complaints from creditors and an employees union. Get the full story »
Playboy posts loss, but says magazine ads will rise
Playboy Enterprises Inc. reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss as revenue from its entertainment, and print and digital businesses continued to decline, but said it expects Playboy magazine advertising pages to rise about 7 percent in the current quarter. Get the full story »
MSNBC reinstates Keith Olbermann
MSNBC says Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday, ending his suspension for violating NBC’s rules against making political donations after two shows. MSNBC’s chief executive Phil Griffin said late Sunday that after several days of deliberation, he had determined that two days off the air was “an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy.”
Playboy auctioning art collection, photos
A Dali watercolor of a reclining nude that hung in Hugh Hefner’s bedroom is among 125 artworks being auctioned by the magazine known for baring all for nearly 60 years. The sale includes 80 photographs, more than a dozen contemporary works and 24 cartoons.
The Dec. 8 auction at Christie’s is dubbed “The Year of the Rabbit.” Founder and editor-in-chief Hefner said the magazine that has entertained, titillated and informed with its commissioned art has blurred the lines between fine and popular art.
“Playboy helped to change the very direction of commercial art — breaking down the wall between fine art and commercial art,” the 84-year-old Hefner told The Associated Press in an interview at his Los Angeles mansion. Get the full story »
MSNBC suspends Olbermann for political activity
Keith Olbermann. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)
MSNBC has suspended prime-time host Keith Olbermann indefinitely without pay for contributing to the campaigns of three Democratic candidates this election season.
Olbermann acknowledged to NBC that he donated $2,400 apiece to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grivalva and Gabrielle Giffords.
NBC News prohibits its employees from working on, or donating to, political campaigns unless a special exception is granted by the news division president — effectively a ban. Olbermann’s bosses did not find out about the donations until after they were made. The website Politico first reported the donations. Get the full story »
Dish Network profit, sales beat estimates
Dish Network Corp, the second-biggest U.S. TV satellite operator, posted higher-than-expected quarterly profit and sales as its existing customers spent more on its services. Get the full story »
Some channels blocked on AT&T U-Verse
By Steve Cavendish | AT&T’s U-verse service dropped Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel and other Scripps networks from its lineup Friday morning after the two sides could not reach a carriage agreement.
The channels were immediately replaced on thousands of U-verse customers’ receivers in the Chicago area.
Food Network and HGTV are among the most popular niche networks on cable, with their most popular shows reaching millions of viewers. Get the full story »
Cable TV subscribers flee
Cable companies have been losing TV subscribers at an ever faster rate in the last few months, and satellite TV isn’t picking up the slack. That could be a sign that Internet TV services such as Netflix and Hulu are finally starting to entice people to cancel cable, though company executives are pointing to the weak economy and housing market for now.
Third-quarter results reported by major cable TV companies show major losses, but don’t settle the question of what’s causing them. Get the full story »
United unveils its Oprah plane
United Airline's plane painted for Oprah Winfrey's final season. (United Airlines)
Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s Oprah. Actually, it’s a plane sporting Oprah Winfrey’s logo with the familiar big looping “O.”
On Thursday, United Airlines unveiled a newly painted plane at O’Hare International Airport commemorating the 25th and final season of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The Boeing 757’s tail is blue with Winfrey’s signature, with the words “The Farewell Season” painted on the fuselage. Get the full story »
Nov. 2, 2010 at 1:18 p.m.
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Filed under: Bankruptcy, Entertainment, Jobs/employment, Retail, Video Blockbuster to hire, add promotions for holiday
Don’t count Blockbuster out yet.
The Dallas-based movie and game rental chain is hiring about 4,000 seasonal employees to staff its stores nationwide this holiday season. That’s comparable to previous years when Blockbuster wasn’t reorganizing under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Get the full story »
Justices weigh 1st Amendment against video games
The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed sympathy for a California law that aims to keep children from buying ultraviolent video games in which players maim, kill or sexually assault images of people.
But several justices said the law faces a high constitutional hurdle before going into effect. Get the full story »
